? Benefits of diagnosis

My current job is different to the one I was in when I was diagnosed. Before I was diagnosed I faced many issues, which I could probably write an essay about but I'm not going to, so basically I was bullied, excluded, isolated, prevented from gaining opportunities, development or advancement, discriminated against, etc. Of course there was no proof but it was made perfectly clear to me in terms of how I was treated and the sorts of things that were said to me in private situations. When I was diagnosed, it had no impact on me and my job because it was already an extremely toxic environment. It was already made clear to me what they thought of me, so I saw no point in disclosing anything when I was diagnosed. Shortly after they had literally taken everything from me except my ability to walk out so that's what I did and I don't regret the decision I made.

A few months later I got my next job, which I'm still in, and I disclosed everything from the start. They were extremely understanding and supportive but that's not because of my diagnosis or the disclosure, but because they were very nice, compassionate, considerate, kind people. I'm sure they would have been that way no matter what sort of person I was as long as I was a decent enough person who could do the job.

As for what impact my diagnosis had on my life, I'd say the only things that made a difference were the fact that I was more open about my issues (which might not specifically have been related to my diagnosis as when I quit the job I was in shortly after diagnosis it was like a heavy weight had been lifted from me, which made me feel like there was no point hiding things or not being myself in moving forward in life), the fact that I got access to services that could help me get my next job due to access to funding and support, which both helped me find my next job due to signposting me to a volunteering site where the company were advertising and because I was granted funding for part time minimum wage work for 6 months, which the company then took me on with the same employment terms, and also joining a local NAS social group where meeting people like me and talking to them was very helpful.

My family seemed to think my diagnosis would somehow change my life dramatically but I had already gone through my own psychological and emotional journey to the point that when it was raised that I might have autism and that I should seek diagnosis, it really made no difference to me. I thought the symptoms described were an accurate reflection of my own and I just thought to myself "Well, whatever, I am who I am" so to speak. So, basically I had already come to terms with being different and accepting myself for it, which was a big hurdle, so the diagnosis was just attaching a label to it rather than anything else, because I had already been through my own process.

My current job is different to the one I was in when I was diagnosed. Before I was diagnosed I faced many issues, which I could probably write an essay about but I'm not going to, so basically I was bullied, excluded, isolated, prevented from gaining opportunities, development or advancement, discriminated against, etc. Of course there was no proof but it was made perfectly clear to me in terms of how I was treated and the sorts of things that were said to me in private situations. When I was diagnosed, it had no impact on me and my job because it was already an extremely toxic environment. It was already made clear to me what they thought of me, so I saw no point in disclosing anything when I was diagnosed. Shortly after they had literally taken everything from me except my ability to walk out so that's what I did and I don't regret the decision I made.

A few months later I got my next job, which I'm still in, and I disclosed everything from the start. They were extremely understanding and supportive but that's not because of my diagnosis or the disclosure, but because they were very nice, compassionate, considerate, kind people. I'm sure they would have been that way no matter what sort of person I was as long as I was a decent enough person who could do the job.

As for what impact my diagnosis had on my life, I'd say the only things that made a difference were the fact that I was more open about my issues (which might not specifically have been related to my diagnosis as when I quit the job I was in shortly after diagnosis it was like a heavy weight had been lifted from me, which made me feel like there was no point hiding things or not being myself in moving forward in life), the fact that I got access to services that could help me get my next job due to access to funding and support, which both helped me find my next job due to signposting me to a volunteering site where the company were advertising and because I was granted funding for part time minimum wage work for 6 months, which the company then took me on with the same employment terms, and also joining a local NAS social group where meeting people like me and talking to them was very helpful.

My family seemed to think my diagnosis would somehow change my life dramatically but I had already gone through my own psychological and emotional journey to the point that when it was raised that I might have autism and that I should seek diagnosis, it really made no difference to me. I thought the symptoms described were an accurate reflection of my own and I just thought to myself "Well, whatever, I am who I am" so to speak. So, basically I had already come to terms with being different and accepting myself for it, which was a big hurdle, so the diagnosis was just attaching a label to it rather than anything else, because I had already been through my own process.